Men's Squash: Elis' confidence unshaken by Trinity defeat

JULIA TIERNAN/YH After a loss to No. 1 Trinity, Yale eyes Harvard, Princeton, and the No. 2 spot in the land.

On Wed., Jan. 20, the men's squash team lost a competition without winning a single match. Yet instead of being depressed and worried about their prospects for the rest of the season, the players remained upbeat and optimistic. They even think they can win the Ivy League championship, which traditionally features the nation's highest concentration of quality squash players. Are the players deluding themselves? Are they refusing to accept their inadequacies?

Nope. It's just that they recently played Trinity, far and away the best team in the nation. The Bantams have so many great players that Noah Wimmer '02, a member of last year's U.S. Junior National team, has been relegated to their JV squad. As Kenny Woo, BK '01, said, "The national title has been all but conceded to Trinity. The rest of the teams are going for second place."

No offense to the rest of the Ivy League, but this year there are only three teams that have a legitimate chance of capturing the Ancient Eight title and the second-place national finish that will likely accompany it. With the exception of Harvard and Princeton, Yale should have no trouble smashing their Ivy foes.

Ah, yes, but what of Harvard and Princeton? "They're tough on the top of their ladder, but we have legendary depth," Josh Barenbaum, CC '01, said. Indeed, Yale has over 20 players who are capable of winning varsity matches. This impressive line-up should help the team against Harvard and Princeton, as both have dominating players at the top three spots.

Freddy Bouchardy, BK '01, feels that Yale can overcome this obstacle. "Although we may not have some of the elite international players that other teams have," he said, "we have a strong team all the way through." In addition, Barenbaum added, "we have a much better work ethic, Coach [Talbott] is incredible, and we are in better shape than our opponents." So in the race for second place, Yale seems to be well on its way.

--David Goldenberg

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